Wikivoyage describes World War II in these articles:
- Pacific War — World War II in the Pacific and East Asia
- World War II in Europe
- World War II in Africa
Most Western chronicles consider World War II to have started with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. Chinese chronicles consider it to have started with Japan's invasion of the Chinese heartland on 7 July 1937, or even its invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. The war is generally considered to have ended with either the unconditional surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945, or with Japan's formal signing of the Instrument of Surrender on 2 September 1945.
As in World War I, self-governing Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa participated in the war as part of the British forces, and made important contributions to the war effort, while Britain also made use of troops from its vast colonial empire such as India, Malaya, Hong Kong and Sarawak. Among the colonial units that distinguished themselves during the war were India's Sikh Regiment, Malaya's Malay Regiment and the Sarawak Rangers.
The end of World War II resulted in the formation of the United Nations, whose structure still reflects that to this day; the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France were the principal Allies during World War II.
See also
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